


Why does the really handsome young man approach me on Westwood Boulevard ?

by peachykeensunandmoon



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: California Boys, College AU, Fluff, I suffer from being a hopeless romantic, M/M, Meeting Again, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Soft Boys, Yearning, and they were ROOMMATES, idk what this is tbh, is a love story like in the movies too much to ask ?, these two are soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:06:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24717997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachykeensunandmoon/pseuds/peachykeensunandmoon
Summary: The food smells delicious as he’s walking on the sidewalk down Westwood Boulevard crossing Le conte Avenue. Preoccupied with overthinking he doesn't see where he’s walking.Before colliding with him a young man stops and holds him at an arms length and starts talking in an amused tone. Steve doesn't hear the voice, deep and soft-spoken.“Careful there huh?”Then without getting an answer he notices that Steve’s wearing AirPods, at the same time Steve turns red and sheepish in an instant. Too afraid of looking in the eyes of the kind stranger he takes out one of his AirPods eyes glued to the dirty sidewalk.“I’m so sorry, I wasn't looking, where I was go-“
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 6
Kudos: 129





	Why does the really handsome young man approach me on Westwood Boulevard ?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, 
> 
> hope you're all healthy and safe out there. If you liked it leave a kudos or comment if you want <3 
> 
> I read a poem by Ezra Pound for english lit class and felt complled to write them meeting somehow like this. This quote is what I'm referring to: 
> 
> "Why does the really handsome young woman approach me in sackville street ?"
> 
> have a good day/night wherever you are <3

The warm summer breeze flows softly through the air, disheveling Steve’s messy brown hair, his coffee hasn't really woken him up yet. Today he overslept and hasn't eaten anything, instead all he did was get an iced coffee at the shop around the corner. Steve’s never been a morning person and food makes him nauseous this early. 

He's running late for his social economy class. His professor is very old, Steve actually thinks, that he must almost be blind and definitely deaf. That’s probably why he talks so loudly during his lecture. 

It’s his sophomore year at UCLA, after barely graduating he was lucky to even get an acceptance letter from one of the schools he’s applied to, after the second try but better than not at all. Good for him that he got the basketball scholarship for his “extraordinary” efforts in the schools team, stupid now that he looks back on it. 

The dorm room is small, normally for two people. Yet now the room is half vacant. 

At night it feels too quiet. 

During the day Steve distracts himself by being outside or in the library trying to fill his head with useless information.  
When he gets home it doesn't feel like coming home at all. 

Cold and uninviting, a hollow space. 

So quiet that he can hear noise from the hall and other rooms filled with drunken laughter and students enjoying life. Steve doesn't like being alone, not since the first night with the demodogs and horror-movie-esque happenings. 

Well…whatever, he thinks. As he takes a seat in the far left corner of the lecture hall, his glasses start fogging up from his light jog to the building. Last year his doctor prescribed him reading glasses, it had something to do with neurological damage from post traumatic stress, but he pretended it was nothing. 

It’s been two years since he's last stepped foot into Hawkins and he definitely intends to keep it that way. The kids visit him every 6 months or so. They said they’d rather come to California and enjoy the city with all the warm summer evenings at Venice beach and drives down Hollywood boulevard, Steve deadpanned that they look like full fledged Tourists every damn time. 

College hasn’t been the experience he expected when leaving Indiana, everything is much more lonely and stressful. Most nights he stays at home and orders some Chinese food to drown out the memories of that 4th of July in the mall. The Russian drug hazing his memories, he can’t stand the sound of fireworks and small spaces freak him out. The people don't seem to click with him and everyone seems to already have their set friend groups from freshmen year. He wonders if he’ll always feel like this, always on the outside looking in, curious about what it would be like to feel content with himself and going out with his friends. The parties on the weekends are all the same and he gets shitfaced at every one.  
Instead of living the time of his life, he pouts away in the dorms stuck in his own head or struggling to write the next paper that is due. Before he falls into the pit of self pity, he shakes his head and mentally returns to the lecture hall.

The letters on his notebook swim around on the page and his thoughts leave the topic of economic recession.  
Class after class passes and he simply goes through the motions of lacklustre studying.  
Three hours later Steve is exhausted from his classes and suffers through the last one of the day, advanced sociology. 

His phone vibrates with a new notification. He wonders who texted him because usually he only gets texts from people asking if he knows what the assignments were. Curiously he reads the notification and immediately feels his nerves starting up. 

**“New E-Mail from noreplyUCLAAdmissions@edu.com**

Dear Steve Harrington, 

A new student has been assigned to the dorm room 114 he will be set to move in this afternoon and we’d like to inform and expect you to be available at 2pm this afternoon to welcome and make acquaintance with him. 

best wishes “

He fidgets nervously in his seat and butterflies bloom in his stomach, his anxiety is acting up. 

To concentrate on any work is impossible with this new information. In 10 Minutes his last lecture for the day will be over anyway, so he decides to pack up his stuff and clean his room for a bit. 

T-shirts and old sweatshirts scatter the floor and thousands of water bottles are lying on the opposite side of the room. He really let his room go while living alone he just didn't care, no one would see. So now he's only got an hour left to make everything spotless and inviting. Maybe he’ll have a real connection and make a friend that is not at least 5 years younger than him. 

Cleaning actually didn't take a long time at all, so he heads into the showers, hoping to make a good impression on his roommate. 

… 

He steps back into the room with a towel wrapped low around his waist.. The clock on the wall displays in red neon letters: 1:45 pm. No one is in sight. 

“Hello ?”

He says into the stillness of the moment expecting his roommate to answer even though he’s nowhere to be seen. He waits for another ten minutes and distracts himself by listening to music on his phone. 

The anticipation is excessive and he cannot bare it any longer. His stomach rumbles he needs to eat something for the day. Sometimes he forgets and only eats out of necessity to not collapse during class. It’s not a problem he tells himself as he lives off of microwaveable food day in day out. Another trip to the Japanese place round the corner will satisfy his empty stomach, he thinks hopefully. 

No answer and no sign of life yet, Steve is out the door. 

…

The food smells delicious as he’s walking on the sidewalk down Westwood Boulevard crossing Le conte Avenue. Preoccupied with overthinking he doesn't see where he’s walking.  
Before colliding with him a young man stops and holds him at an arms length and starts talking in an amused tone. Steve doesn't hear the voice, deep and soft-spoken. 

“Careful there huh?”

Then without getting an answer he notices that Steve’s wearing AirPods, at the same time Steve turns red and sheepish in an instant. Too afraid of looking in the eyes of the kind stranger he takes out one of his AirPods eyes glued to the dirty sidewalk. 

“I’m so sorry, I wasn't looking, where I was go-“

"Harrington ?!” 

Everything stops. 

Its like a record scratching in his head, he snaps his head up to stare at the young man in front of him. 

There he is, Billy Hargrove in all his Californian glory, tanned skin and golden locks greet him as he keeps staring. His hair is even blonder, bleached by the sun and salt water beaches. He’s obviously fit, that he can see even while the other is covered in a white T-shirt and 501 Levis. He looks so much better than the last time Steve’s seen him. Steve can’t think right. 

Shell shocked is the understatement for what he’s feeling right now. 

“Billy ?” 

His cheeks feel warm and he curses his pale complexion, in spite of living here for two years he hasn't been out in the sun as much as he'd like to. Why he’s reacting like this he doesn't know. It feels like a stone has been lifted off of his chest and he has no clue why. 

Then he notices the duffel bag and wonders why Billy is carrying around so much stuff. 

“Hi, haven't seen you in a while pretty boy. By any chance do you know where the Hedrick Hall dorms are ?” 

His jaw drops and his brain is rattling to find something to say, nothing comes out and he keeps standing there like a pillar of salt. He coughs and splutters and finally. 

“yes.. uh…yeah I-I kind of live there?” 

His voice betrays him by going up at that last part showing how unprepared he feels for this conversation. He averts his eyes again and fumbles with the plastic bag in his hand. 

“No way ?! do you mind showing me the way or do you have somewhere else to be ?” 

At first he thinks the blonde is making fun of him, only to be left standing there like an idiot, but when he meets his expression, something within him changes. Blue sparkling eyes are full of hope and so open, he struggles to breathe for a second. 

He’s so different, but so is Steve. 

_It somehow feels comfortable._

“Sure, yeah I’m not..I’m not doing anything right now, how long have you been in LA ?” 

Trying to sound conversationally Steve glances at Billy and begins walking in the direction of the dorms. 

_He doesn't see the way Billy's hand ghosts over the small of his back as they start walking in unison._

_Doesn't see the way Billy is slightly blushing too under the freckles on his cheeks._

_Doesn't realise Billy is as nervous as him, doesn't notice anything._

They talk about how Billy graduated a year after him and got into college with a literature and sports scholarship. The reason he only arrived mid-semester is a mystery much like the young man himself.  
To say Steve is impressed would be putting it mildly. 

His hands are shaking slightly as he carries his long forgotten food and his head is swimming with nerves. 

“What’s your room number ?”  
Billy fumbles in the pocket of his jeans for his phone and finishes talking after tapping away for a few seconds. 

“Uhh… It’s 405, which floor is that ?” 

His heart drops. 

The noise of it drowns out everything else he wants to reply. 

“The 4th.” 

His voice comes out croaky as if he’d been sick or just woken up. With a stiff back and nerves on high energy plaguing him, they walk up the staircase together. 

“What is it with you? Why’re you so jumpy all of a sudden, you don't want me living at the same campus or what?” 

“No..no it’s not that, not at all, um … how do I explain this…you show up out of thin air and it feels like nothing happened, like we didn't hate each others guts, it’s weird isn't it?” 

“Oh come on, you can’t be still mad about that, your face recovered well enough.” He fucking winks at Steve and his stomach flips inside him. 

“You almost killed me that night, besides that’s not even what I meant at all” 

A tangible silence shuts them up both reminiscing about the mall disaster. 

“Steve, we got out! We don’t have to stay in that place. ” 

The sincerity and concern in his gaze is too much, Steve feels his eyes tearing up and wills them away before Billy can see. The lump in his throat is acting up again and it hurts to hold all the emotions inside.  
Suddenly they're talking about more than the place, talking about leaving it all behind. 

Leaving all the shit they've been through in the past. 

**405**

The door is chestnut wood and feels like a portal to a new life to Steve, he’s got someone that gets him and finally something clicks, feeling like looking down from great heights and not being so scared anymore to let go and fall into it. 

This is what he’s wished for since he arrived almost two years ago. 

Some girls walk by them giggling to themselves at the sight of Billy, all golden boy, just what the girls here want. 

Billy is standing so close to him he feels faint and the warmth radiating off of his body is too much.  
Steve wants to bury his head in the crook of Billy’s neck breathing in the salt water and comfort.  
The blonde scoffs at the girls and half grins at Steve. Then his expression turns confused and he eyes Steve’s face. 

“Wait…where is your room?” 

then he hastily adds almost sheepishly

“so we can like talk some more of whatever?” Steve doesn't see how hard Billy is trying to sound nonchalant when all he wants to do is talk to him some more. 

“..well funny thing you ask this is kinda my room too.” 

He winces at his awkwardness and visibly cringes. Instead of reacting the way Steve thought, Billy belts out a deep laugh and ruffles his hair affectionately. He must be as red as a tomato by now and hides behind turning towards the door and entering the dorm. Suddenly the dorm doesn't feel as lonely anymore and he sighs in content. 

… 

At night both boys are getting ready for bed already in their pyjamas and Steve feels shy about getting undressed, turning around is all he can do so he does. 

_He doesn't see the way Billy’s eyes rake over his back, muscular yet still skinny, doesn't see the way Billy hides the longing in his eyes when he turns back around._

His heart is pounding and he feels awake in a way he’s never experienced.

He turns on his back eyes to the ceiling and listens to Billy’s breathing, it almost lulls him to sleep. 

But he’s still awake. 

_So is Billy._

In the quiet of the night he hopes his heart is not too loud, hopes Billy won’t hear how much he affects the other. 

At the same time Billy hopes the same thing, just with a slightly different intention. 

Oblivious Steve twists and turns in his bed getting more frustrated by the second. 

“Harrington, you awake ?” 

The soft and tentative tone of his whisper throws him off and Steve turns to face the bed opposite him and is met with the moonlit expression on the blondes face, open longing.

Again he doesn't see. 

“Yeah.” 

His own voice feels foreign to his ears, breathy and tremulous. It’s so much lower than usual. 

“Can’t sleep ?” 

“Yeah.” 

A pause and then. 

“Come here.” 

“What?”

“you heard me.” 

The shuffling of sheets and quiet footsteps are the only sounds in the silence. 

“What are we doing Billy ?” 

“I don’t know” 

He answers honestly. 

After some more moments of silence billy lifts his duvet up at the edge so Steve can get in.  
His hammering heart is definitely audible to Billy, when they're this close. 

They lie side by side barely touching, Steve’s breathing drones on his ears and his cheeks are aflame. 

Then Billy’s pinky moves an inch and they make the slightest contact, electricity shoots up his arm and Steve realises he’s never felt this way, 

_never._

They look at one another and it steals his breath away. 

With the last bit of nerves he can muster he adds: 

“Billy ?” 

“Yes, pretty boy ?” 

“I’m so tired” 

“Go to sleep then” 

At this Steve turns over with Billy following suit. His arm slings tentatively around Steve’s waist and they're back to front. Billy’s breath is on his neck and he shivers. 

Safe in each others arms they fall asleep like that. 

After that they don't question, that they spend every waking minute with each other, both finally having someone who understands. 


End file.
